Qatar bank stocks will also be in focus after Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB), the Gulf state’s largest sharia-compliant lender by assets, reported a 10.9 percent jump in third-quarter net, in line with analysts’ forecasts.

Results on Thursday included Saudi Kayan Petrochemical Co. , which reported a 140.9 percent rise in third-quarter profit to 381.0 million riyals, and Saudi Automotive Services Co , which posted a 36.6 percent profit rise to 9.1 million riyals.